Vaio P-Series Power Usage

Overview

This page presents some results on measuring the power consumption of the Sony Vaio P-Series PCG-1R1W for various types of usage. The purpose is to understand how to make better use of existing battery capacity and to build an appropriate minimal portable solar recharging system.

Method

A 2.7mm power socket and power plug are connected together with a tap point for a digital multimeter. The multimeter is used to measure power consumption by measuring both the voltage and current. Power is calculated according to

$$P=IV$$

Voltage from the standard power supply is fairly consistent, but under higher loads it drops a little bit.